Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story misattributed a white paper about breed-specific legislation from the American Dog Breeders Association and other groups.
Santina Pado’s anxiety spikes whenever she encounters an unleashed dog. On a family vacation last year, her phone’s heart monitor signaled a potential cardiac arrest when a dog leaped to greet a nearby woman. This incident resurrected the terror of a brutal dog attack she endured during a routine stroll in Fayette City, Pennsylvania. A brindle boxer and four other dogs attacked her, leaving her with severe injuries and a heart attack.
“This is it,” she thought during the attack, believing it was her last day alive.
A passerby eventually scared the dogs away by firing a gun into the air. Pado later discovered that two of the dogs had previously bitten people, yet their owner allowed them to roam free.
In recent years, the frequency of dog bites, maulings, and fatalities has surged in the United States. In the past two weeks alone, a husky killed a newborn in Tennessee, and an 83-year-old man was fatally attacked by unleashed dogs in Alabama.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fatal dog attacks have more than doubled in the past decade, from an average of around 40 per year to nearly 100 annually since the pandemic. Dog bites, estimated at 4.5 million annually two decades ago, are now believed to be in the millions.
The debate on how to address the rising number of canine attacks is divisive, pitting neighbors against each other and igniting conflicts among condo boards, local councils, and state governments. Some areas have enacted leash laws or banned specific breeds, while a dozen states require dogs to have implanted microchips recording any past aggression.
Advocates are split: some call for the euthanasia of aggressive dogs, while others argue for rehabilitation and against breed-specific bans, which they say disproportionately affect the poor and people of color.
Colleen Lynn, founder and president of DogsBite.org, advocates for government intervention to enforce better dog management, which she says includes training and euthanasia for unmanageable dogs.
Unprovoked Dog Attacks: A Grim Reality
The stories of unprovoked dog attacks are harrowing. A 4-year-old boy was killed by a family friend’s bulldog in Alabama. In Los Angeles, a man was fatally attacked by his own pit bulls. In Georgia, a stay-at-home mother was mauled to death while trying to protect her children from a pack of dogs.
Chloe and Mark Mansoor, whose six-week-old son Ezra was killed by the family dog in Tennessee, donated their son’s organs and spoke out to raise awareness. “It could be any dog at any time – completely unprovoked,” Chloe Mansoor told WVLT.
Jim Crosby, a research associate at Harvard University’s Canine Aggression Project, notes the difficulty in obtaining accurate dog bite data. Emergency room visits for dog bites decreased from almost 363,000 in 2012 to 317,000 in 2021, according to the CDC. However, combining hospital records with health department and insurance data remains a challenge.
Crosby and other experts believe the increase in dog attacks is partly due to the pandemic, during which many dogs missed out on crucial socialization. As owners returned to work, these dogs were left alone, further depriving them of social contact.
Shelter Practices Under Scrutiny
The increased demand for dogs during the pandemic may have led shelters to adopt out dogs that were not suitable for adoption, says Mike Shikashio, a dog aggression expert. Crosby notes that stretched resources in shelters often mean that dogs are not given the intensive care needed for rehabilitation, leading to potentially dangerous adoptions.
Dangerous Dog Legislation
States like Virginia have implemented “dangerous dog” laws, which often result in euthanasia for dogs deemed vicious. Virginia also maintains a registry of dangerous dogs and requires aggressive dogs to be microchipped or tattooed.
In Florida, a proposed measure named after a postal worker killed by five dogs in 2022 would require the registration of dangerous dogs, liability insurance for owners, and mandate the destruction of repeat offenders.
Advocates like Colleen Lynn call for mandatory bite disclosure from shelters to prevent people from unknowingly adopting aggressive dogs. Breed-specific legislation remains controversial, with opponents arguing that it is discriminatory and costly to enforce.
Survivors Face Lingering Trauma
Survivors like Santina Pado continue to grapple with the psychological aftermath of their attacks. Despite her physical recovery, Pado still struggles with anxiety and has yet to resume her daily walks.
Efforts to improve public safety and reduce dog attacks continue to divide communities. As dog ownership rises, finding effective solutions becomes increasingly urgent.
For further information, please contact Cybele Mayes-Osterman at cmayesosterman@usatoday.com or follow her on X @CybeleMO.
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